These are Maui Scene Editor Rick Chatenever's mini-reviews, excerpts of wire service reviews and previews provided by studios and other sources.
Opening Friday
"Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" PG, 1:40, Maui Mall Megaplex (in 3-D and 2-D), Kukui Mall 4 and Lahaina Wharf Cinemas (3-D).
Article Photos
Fine furry friends including Diggs the German Shepherd (voiced by James Marsden) and Catherine the Cat (Christina Applegate, right) help make 'Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore' a howl.
Warner Bros. photo via AP
Bette Midler gives voice to the villain named in the title of this family-friendly animated comedy that has her masterminding a plan to enslave the canines and put the felines in charge. The clever satire in the script starts with a James Bond sendup, targeting other iconic images like "Silence of the Lambs" for the grownups, while distracting the kids with the cute talking critters. Neil Patrick Harris, Nick Nolte, James Marsden, Christina Applegate and Roger Moore provide voices; Brad Peyton directs.
"Charlie St. Cloud" PG-13, 1:54, Maui Mall Megaplex and Front Street Theaters.
Fresh from his recent tribute at the Maui Film Festival, teen heartthrob Zac Efron ventures into supernatural drama territory, playing a young man plagued by visions of his younger brother who died in a car crash that should have taken his own life. Charlie Tahan, Amanda Crew, Augustus Prew, Donal Logue, Kim Basinger and Ray Liotta co-star; Burr Steers directs.
"Dinner for Schmucks" PG-13, 2:09, Maui Mall Megaplex, Kukui Mall 4 and Front Street Theaters.
Steve Carell and Paul Rudd star in this adaptation of a French comedy as a pair of doofuses invited to a dinner by wealthy businesses secretly betting on who can take the prize as the biggest loser. Carell plays a dork whose only talent is creating dioramas featuring stuffed mice wearing little costumes; Rudd plays a more cunning kind of striver who latches onto him. David Walliams, Zach Galifianakis and Jemaine Clement co-star in the mayhem under the direction of Jay Roach.
Still playing
"Despicable Me" PG, 1:35, Kaahumanu 6 and Front Street Theatres.
Clever moments, colorful characters and a French-flavored sense of whimsey underlie this offbeat comedy featuring a bravura vocal performance by Steve Carell as Gru, a bad guy who discovers he's got a good heart by the final frame. The first animated 3-D movie from Universal follows the heavyset Gru, with his hunched carriage, indeterminate Eastern European accent and environmentally unfriendly vehicle, as he hatches a plan to steal the moon. He soon meets his match in three girls:?Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier); Agnes, (Elsie Fisher); and Margo, (Miranda Cosgrove). Gru's growing fondness for becoming a father figure adds heart to the wit, yielding a box-office hit in the process. Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud direct. Recommended.
"Inception" PG-13, 2:43, Maui Mall Megaplex, Kukui Mall 4 and Lahaina Wharf Cinemas.
Writer-director Christopher Nolan's blockbuster mind trip has scored box-office gold by speaking the language and revealing the architecture of dreams. Viewers have no choice but to strap in and get ready for the ride through this stunningly gorgeous, technically flawless symphony of images and ideas. Leonardo DiCaprio is Dom Cobb, a master thief of the subconscious who enters the minds of sleeping victims to steal their secrets. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is his right-hand man, Arthur, and Ken Watanabe is one of their clients named Saito. Watanabe hires Dom to sneak into the subconscious of a competitor (Cillian Murphy) and implant an idea that will ruin his empire. In return, Saito will help Dom clear his name for a crime he didn't commit that has torn him from his wife and two young children and forced him to go on the run. A heist movie with a "Memento"-like way of telling the story in reverse, the unique film's awesomeness, ambition and scope inspire viewers to return time and again. Recommended.
"The Kids Are All Right" R, 1:44, Kaahumanu 6.
The modern family is portrayed with comedy, vibrancy and emotional truth in the most talked about movie at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. All is well with this L.A. clan led by two married moms, Nic and Jules (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore), in a cozy, suburban neighborhood. However, things take a surprising turn when kids, Joni (Mia Wasikowska), 18, and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), 15, conceived by artificial insemination, want to find their biological father. Joni manages to make contact with "bio-dad" Paul (Mark Ruffalo), an easygoing restauranteur. The kids are drawn to the bachelor's style, while Nic and Jules struggle with feelings of inadequacy. As Paul enters the lives of the fourthright four, family ties are defined, redefined, then re-redefined. Lisa Cholodenko ("High Art" and "Laurel Canyon") directs from the screenplay she wrote with Stuart Blumberg ("Keeping the Faith").
"The Last Airbender" PG-13, 1:58, Maui Mall Megaplex; ends tonight at Lahaina Wharf Cinemas.
Suspense auteur M. Night Shyamalan tells this tale of 12-year-old Aang (Noah Ringer) who provides the last hope for restoring harmony to a land consumed by chaos. In a world balanced on the four nations of Water, Earth, Fire and Air, chaos ensues when the Fire Nation launches a brutal, centurylong war against the others. Aang discovers he is the lone avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements as he teams with Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to restore balance to their war-torn world.
"Grown Ups" PG-13, 1:57, Kaahumanu 6.
The death of their childhood basketball coach leads to a reunion for old friends Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Chris Rock, who gather at the site of a championship celebration from years ago. Picking up where they left off, the old buddies, now with their wives and children in tow, discover why age doesn't necessarily equal maturity. David Spade and Rob Schneider co-star, with Sandler and Fred Wolf providing the screenplay and Dennis Dugan doing the direction.
"Knight and Day" PG-13, 2:04, ends tonight at Kaahumanu 6.
This spy caper unites fugitive couple (Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz) as they wage a war between truth and trust while speeding across the globe in an attempt to avoid capture by a determined federal agent. During their glamorous, globetrotting and sometimes deadly adventure, nothing and no one - even the now fugitive couple - are what they seem. The all-star cast features Peter Sarsgaard, Maggie Grace, Paul Dano, Marc Blucas, Viola Davis, Jordi Molla, filmed all over the world by director James Mangold.
"Predators" R, 1:46, ends tonight at Maui Mall Megaplex.
This sequel with the plural title promises even more beasts than John McTiernan's 1987 original. Adrien Brody steps into the Arnold Schwarzenegger role, leading a band of mercenaries including a Mexican drug cartel veteran (Danny Trejo); a Brazilian black ops sniper (Alice Braga); and a Yakuza assassin (Louis Ozawa Changchien) as they square off against a gang of alien predators. Viewers are treated to the aliens' blurry, red-and-orange point-of-view, as the motley crew members battle each other as well as their scary-looking foes, revealing one another as a predator, one way or the other. Nimrod Antal directs.
"Ramona and Beezus" G, 1:59, Maui Mall Megaplex and Lahaina Wharf Cinemas.
This adaptation of Beverly Cleary's best-selling books brings the adventures of young Ramona Quimby (Joey King) and her big sister, Beezus (Selena Gomez), to life. Ramona's vivid imagination, boundless energy and accident-prone antics keep everyone she meets on their toes. Her sense of mischief comes in handy when she attempts to help save her family's home. John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel and Sandra Oh also star in the film. Elizabeth Allen directs.
"Salt" PG-13, 1:55, Maui Mall Megaplex, Kukui Mall 4and Front Street Theatres.
Besides being the kind of action hero who can do stunts that would break a normal person's back without breaking a nail, Angelina Jolie's greater talent is for looking gorgeous when she does it. The role of Evelyn Salt, a crack CIA agent accused of being a Russian spy is tailor-made is tailor-made for her in this action-thriller that cements her action-hero status, but doesn't go very deep to find the character underneath. Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Daniel Olbrychski co-star; Phillip Noyce directs.
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" PG, 2:05, Maui Mall Megaplex; ends tonight at Kukui Mall 4 and Front Street Theatres.
This pleasant-enough potion of action and comedy that will send some parents and kids home happy is a variation of the King Arthur Chosen One tale. Nicholas Cage stars as 1,500-year-old sorcerer Balthazar Blake who can claim Merlin the magician as mentor. Set in modern-day Manhattan, Blake and his hapless apprentice, Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel), are swept into the ancient conflict between good and evil as they vie with arch nemesis Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina). Along the way, the sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, working together to stop the forces of darkeness and helping the apprentice get the girl. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub, creators of the "National Treasure" franchise, concoct this family fantasy.
"Toy Story 3" G, 1:43, Maui Mall Megaplex (3-D, with ticket surcharge).
Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and cowgirl (Joan Cusack) return to the third installment of this franchise - the first in 3-D - that put Pixar and computer animation on the map. Once again the toys confront their own mortality as their boy grows up and heads for college, leaving them with the options of being boxed in the attic or put out for the garbage man. They get a new lease on life when they wind up in a day care center, but that also turns dangerous when they get placed in the toddler room. Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris and new addition Ned Beatty add their voices to the mix under Lee Unkrich's direction.
"Twilight Saga: Eclipse" PG-13, 2:19, Maui Mall Megaplex; ends tonight at Front Street Theatres and Kukui Mall 4.
It's a battle of the heartthrobs as Team Edward and Team Jacob fans converge for this third installment of the vampire series. Bella (Kristen Stewart) once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward (Robert Pattinson) and her friendship with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. This third edition of the "Twilight" series carries on the blockbuster tradition, delighting fans and defanging critics.
